Out From Under the Shadow
by sudipal
Summary: "No, we don't walk away. But when we're holding on to something precious, we run. We run and run, fast as we can, and we don't stop running until we are out from under the shadow." - The Doctor, The Rings of Akhaten


Disclaimer: I own neither Doctor Who nor any of its characters. All rights belong to their owners.

–

"Grandfather!" the young girl cried out as she was pulled along by the firm grasp of the gray-haired man. Her feet were beginning to hurt due to their fast-paced speed.

Her grandfather turned around and quieted her with a harsh tone, "Hush, Susan." He looked angrier than she had ever seen him. Susan pursed her lips, afraid to upset him further. She could feels tears prickling the rims of her eyes, but she fought them back. She knew she mustn't make a sound.

Grandfather must have noticed her fear, and, immediately, his expression changed to something softer. He knelt in front of Susan and embraced her. "I'm sorry," he told her. "I didn't mean to frighten you, but it's very important that you do as I say, don't wander off, and stay very, very silent. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Susan nodded.

"Good girl," he smiled. It was a sight Susan had not seen all day, and she reveled in it as though its appearance would make everything better again.

They wandered through the abandoned corridors of the Citadel for a while, Susan wasn't sure for how long, and it seemed like they would never rest. Until, suddenly, they heard voices and Grandfather pushed them both back into the shadows.

The voices were of two men in the middle of a conversation, but she could only hear snippets of the discussion.

"... Real shame..."

"... Only ever seen them in pictures..."

"... Make way for newer models..."

The two men, whom Susan could now see were wearing guard uniforms, walked away, apparently not even noticing the old man and little girl.

All alone now, they came out of their hiding place and looked around the room, which contained several ancient-looking Time Capsules. Junk, Susan thought to herself. She looked up to her grandfather to see if he shared her sentiment, but, instead, to her surprise, his eyes were lit up with joy and relief. "This is exactly what we need," he said.

There were five ships standing before them, but Grandfather weaved past the closest capsule and went straight to one that looked like it belonged on display in a museum. He reached out to its door and exclaimed with absolute delight that it was left unlocked. He tugged at Susan's hand to lead her inside, but she refused to move. "What are you doing, my child?" he asked. "Hurry inside before somebody sees us."

"I don't want to," she confessed.

"But you must," said Grandfather.

"Are we stealing it?" she asked him.

"We'll give it back when we're done," he told her.

"Can't we just go home?" she pleaded.

"Susan," he said with a look of absolute defeat. He must be so tired, she thought. "You know that we can't. We've lost so much already; I can't lose you, too. Please, just trust me and do as I say."

"I miss Mummy and Daddy," she said, surprised at herself for saying so. She could feel a constant dull ache inside her, as though a piece of her had been ripped out and was never mended. But she hadn't meant to reveal her feelings; she wanted to be brave.

"I do, too," said Grandfather, looking down at her with glassy eyes. "I promised to keep you safe, and there's only danger here."

"All right, Grandfather," she said, finally agreeing to step into the time machine.

The console room was sparsely decorated in white, with its walls consisting of hexagonal roundels. In the center stood the control console, and Grandfather let go of Susan's hand to inspect it. "Oh," he whispered, taking the same hand that had just moments ago been holding on to Susan with a tight grip and gliding it tenderly over the controls, "you are the most beautiful thing that I have ever known."

Susan wrapped her arms around herself and watched as Grandfather fiddled with some buttons and levers until they finally heard a whirring noise that signified they were no longer on Gallifrey, but somewhere in the time vortex.

Grandfather breathed a sigh of relief, but Susan was still uncertain. "Where will we go now?"

"I don't know, Susan," he answered, honestly.

"I don't want to run forever," she told him.

"Come here, Susan," he beckoned to her. She walked over, and he put his arms around her. "You are the most precious thing in the universe to me, and if I need to run in order to protect you, that is absolutely what I am going to do."

"What if the Time Lords come after us?" she asked.

"Then we run even further," he said. "And we never stop until we are out from under their shadow."

"I don't understand."

"I know," he said, looking straight into her eyes. "But, one day, I don't know when, you'll have to make an important decision, and, hopefully, you'll understand it then."

He smiled at her, and she smiled back. "Where shall we go, Susan?" he asked.

She thought for a moment, considering. "Let's go forward," she decided, "and then backwards, and perhaps sideways after that."

"I think we're off to a good start," said Grandfather. He then turned back to the control console, looked at it with some hesitance, mumbled something under his breath about a manual, and ended up what looked to be like he was just pushing buttons at random. But Susan didn't say a word. Instead, she touched the console with the same tenderness that her grandfather had previously and silently thanked it for rescuing them. Grandfather's hand was again on her shoulder as he led her out into the new and strange world that the ship had chosen for them.


End file.
